Another wonder of the animal world, adeptly displayed.
The largest fish in the ocean, whale sharks are threatened by commercial fishing, climate change, and lack of scientific knowledge.
Once again, Markle (The Great Rhino Rescue, 2018, etc.) ably introduces a vanishing species to her wide audience. She grabs their attention with a suspenseful opening: Two not-yet-grown sharks (16 and 22 feet long) are accidentally trapped by the purse seine of a commercial fishing boat. Before she relieves readers with an account of their rescue, she has introduced the species, described their “oceans of problems,” and explained the tools scientists have developed to investigate their “mysterious life.” Strictly speaking, this is less about that rescue and more about the developing research that may save the species, listed as endangered in 2016, but Markle and her publisher may be forgiven the title which sets this solidly in her Science Discoveries series. As in previous entries, her clear and well-organized exposition is supported by lively design, diagrams, maps, and eye-catching photographs, including one of the trapped juveniles. Short stand-alone sections compare whale sharks to humpback whales, describe the shark’s filter feeding, and explain how researchers identify individual sharks by their patterns of spots and stripes. Finally, she notes that great white sharks need our help, too, concluding with some words about her research and a few additional facts.
Another wonder of the animal world, adeptly displayed. (author’s note, additional facts, timeline, source notes, glossary, further reading, index, photo acknowledgments) (Nonfiction. 9-14)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5415-1041-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Millbrook/Lerner
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Contentwise, an arbitrary assortment…but sure to draw fans of comics, of science, or of both.
Flash, Batman, and other characters from the DC Comics universe tackle supervillains and STEM-related topics and sometimes, both.
Credited to 20 writers and illustrators in various combinations, the 10 episodes invite readers to tag along as Mera and Aquaman visit oceanic zones from epipelagic to hadalpelagic; Supergirl helps a young scholar pick a science-project topic by taking her on a tour of the solar system; and Swamp Thing lends Poison Ivy a hand to describe how DNA works (later joining Swamp Kid to scuttle a climate-altering scheme by Arcane). In other episodes, various costumed creations explain the ins and outs of diverse large- and small-scale phenomena, including electricity, atomic structure, forensic techniques, 3-D printing, and the lactate threshold. Presumably on the supposition that the characters will be more familiar to readers than the science, the minilectures tend to start from simple basics, but the figures are mostly both redrawn to look more childlike than in the comics and identified only in passing. Drawing styles and page designs differ from chapter to chapter but not enough to interrupt overall visual unity and flow—and the cast is sufficiently diverse to include roles for superheroes (and villains) of color like Cyborg, Kid Flash, and the Latina Green Lantern, Jessica Cruz. Appended lists of websites and science-based YouTube channels, plus instructions for homespun activities related to each episode, point inspired STEM-winders toward further discoveries.
Contentwise, an arbitrary assortment…but sure to draw fans of comics, of science, or of both. (Graphic nonfiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-77950-382-4
Page Count: 160
Publisher: DC
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Hot on the heels of the well-received Leonardo da Vinci (2005) comes another agreeably chatty entry in the Giants of Science series. Here the pioneering physicist is revealed as undeniably brilliant, but also cantankerous, mean-spirited, paranoid and possibly depressive. Newton’s youth and annus mirabilis receive respectful treatment, the solitude enforced by family estrangement and then the plague seen as critical to the development of his thoughtful, methodical approach. His subsequent squabbles with the rest of the scientific community—he refrained from publishing one treatise until his rival was dead—further support the image of Newton as a scientific lone wolf. Krull’s colloquial treatment sketches Newton’s advances in clearly understandable terms without bogging the text down with detailed explanations. A final chapter on “His Impact” places him squarely in the pantheon of great thinkers, arguing that both his insistence on the scientific method and his theories of physics have informed all subsequent scientific thought. A bibliography, web site and index round out the volume; the lack of detail on the use of sources is regrettable in an otherwise solid offering for middle-grade students. (Biography. 10-14)
Pub Date: April 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-670-05921-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2006
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